CEBU Pacific will launch thrice-weekly direct flights from Manila to Siem Reap starting April 19, representing a breakthrough on the monopoly on transit services to the destination.
Travellers from Manila usually access Siem Reap via Bangkok or Hanoi/Ho Chi Minh City, with connecting flights offered by Bangkok Airways and Vietnam Airlines, respectively.
Manila-based Goldlink Travel & Tours operations manager, Allan Sze, said: “The ‘obstacle’ (previously was) the flight to Siem Reap, which from Manila is accessed by flying through Vietnam or Bangkok. That would cost you about US$500-600.”
“Cebu Pacific’s new flight will reduce flight costs by about half, to about US$300,” said Simon Ang, operations manager at Celebrate Life TLC Corp, a Manila-based travel firm that focuses on outbound to Indochina.
Ang is already blocking off group bookings in response to the new route. “I’m looking at three or four groups in April, and maybe six to seven groups in May. We foresee huge demand in the near future, and hopefully Cebu Pacific will increase the flight frequencies to Cambodia after a few months,” he said.
Meanwhile, Cebu Pacific is looking to lease up to eight Airbus A330-300 aircraft to launch longhaul flights of up to 11 hours in third quarter 2013.
Cebu Pacific’s president & CEO, Lance Gokongwei, said: “We are exploring serving cities where large Filipino communities reside – Europe, the Middle East, Oceania and the US.”
“Data indicates that more than half of Filipinos deployed in these regions take multiple stops and connecting flights, because no home carrier can fly them there non-stop,” he added.
The LCC is scheduled to launch two other routes on March 23, Manila-Xiamen (TTG Asia e-Daily, January 3, 2012) and Hong Kong-Kalibo (Boracay), both operated thrice-weekly.
